Toy sounding wheel



H. c. KOCH TOY S OUNDING WHEEL Filed on. l. 1923' @Mvenitru 'Henm y C. Koch).

{my %@0 6. figs/0n I Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES 'I-IENB Y C. KOCH, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

TO'Y SOUNDING- WHEEL.

Application filed. October 1, 1923.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. KooH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Johnstown, county of Cambria, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Sounding Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a sounding toy wheel, which, when propelled over the surface of the ground, will cause strikers which are slidingly arranged on the wheel spokes to come into engagement with the rim and hub of the wheel thereby producing an intermittent clicking sound.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the preferred form of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, with parts broken away and others shown in section,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a fragment of the wheel shown in vertical section, and slightly modified, and

Fig. 4 is a. view similar to Fig. 3 of a modification.

Referring tothe drawing, reference numeral 1 designates the hubwhich is polygonal in contour and preferably formed of wood. From each facet of this hub a spoke 2 extends radially into engagement with a felly 3, the ends of the spokes being embedded in the hub and felly elements as illustrated in Fig. 3. The fellies are arranged in circular series and bound by a retainin band or tire 4: which is preferably of meta while the fellies are of wood. Striker blocks 5 provided with longitudinal bores are arranged upon the spokes with the spokes slidingly received in said bores. The blocks 5 which are preferably made of wood may be of any desired cross sectional shape, though strikers of circular cross sectional shape have been selected for the purpose of illustration.

The fellies are preferably made of wood in sect-ions, and each section is flat and straight Serial No. 665,750.

on its inside and curved to a circular are on its outside, the interior surface therefor of the felloe having the appearance of a polygon, with a plurality of flat faces, and the hub is also polygonal having a similar number of opposing fiat faces.

On these flat faces the strikers or blocks 5 are adapted to forcibly contact in operation and by reason of this construction a louder sound is produced than if the contact surfaces were curved, or otherwise, the effect of the flat ends of the strikers contacting with the flat surfaces in question being heightened by the quick expulsion and action of the air, as'in clapping ones hands, or slapping a flat newspaper upon a table. Such effect is not produced if the edge of ones hand should strike the other hand, and similarly the striking of a fiat folded newspaper. on atable will produce a loud sound, while striking the folded edge thereof on the table will not produce nearly so loud a sound. The resonance of the rim also adds to the sound.

The wheel is propelled by means of a handle formed of side bars 6 secured at their outer ends to the opposite sides of a handle piece 7 provided with a grip 8. A spacer block 9' wider than the width of the wheel rim is inserted between the side bars 6 adjacent the wheel rim and there suitably secured. The ends of the side bars 6 are then sprung toward each other and into engagement with the sides of the wheel hub 1 and secured by an axle bolt or pin 10. This pin 10 may either journal in the hub 1 or in the ends of the handle bars 6, or both.

If desired, metal washers and 16 may be employed to modify the sound caused by the strikers falling against the hub and rim, the washers 15 being secured to the rim and the washers being secured to the striker blocks. The washers may have tubular rims surrounding their apertures through which the spokes pass and these rims may be embedded in the rim and striker blocks as illustrated in Fig. 3. A further modification may be made by constructing the parts entirely of metal so that the hub 1' and rim 8 will be hollow and the strikers 5 on the spokes 2 also hollow, as illustrated in Fig. 4:. In this latter form, the rim where penetrated by the spokes 2 has internal bosses, while the strikers 5 have similar bosses 19.

In operation, when the wheel is propelled over the surface of the ground by means of its handle, the striker blocks fall by gravity from their position adjacent the hub into contact with the rim, or vice versa, according to the direction of inclination of the spokes. This contact of the strikers with the hub or the rim will produce an intermittent and pleasing clicking sound. In the form illustrated in Fig. 3, the sound is slightly accentuated by the presence of the metal washers and 16, and in the form illustrated in Fig. 4L, the sound will be considerably sharper due to the entire metallic construction adopted.

What is claimed:

1. A sounding toy wheel, comprising a polygonal hub, an interiorly polygonal rim, spokes, and strikers slidably arranged on the spokes and adapted to contact with said hub and rim.

2.-A sounding toy wheel, comprising a polygonal hub, an interiorly polygonal rim, spokes, and elongated striker elements perforated longitudinally and slidably arranged on the spokes and adapted to gravitate into contact with said hub and rim.,

3. A sounding toy wheel, comprising a polygonal hub, an interiorly polygonal rim, spokes, and elongated strikers arranged on said spokes and adapted to gravitate into contact with said hub and rim, and means for propelling said wheel.

4. sounding toy wheel, comprising a polygonal hub, an interiorly polygonal rim, spokes, strikers slidably arranged on the spokes and adapted to gravitate into contact with the hub and rim, and a propelling handle comprising a pair of side bars pivotally connected with said hub, a grip piece secured between said side bars, and a spacer block over which the side bars are bowed.

5. A soundingv toy wheel, comprising a polygonal hub element, a rim element polygonal interiorly, spokes therebetween, strikers slidably arranged on the spokes for contact with one of said elements, and metal washers secured to the contacting faces of said strikers and one of said elements.

6. A sounding toy wheel, comprising a hub, a hollow rim, spokes therebetween, and hollow elongated strikers slidably arranged on the spokes and adapted to gravitate into contact with the hub and rim.

In witness whereof I have hereunto aifixed my signature.

HENRY o. KooH. 

